Latest on Trump's cases: Where do the president-elect's legal challenges stand?
Donald Trump's presidential victory earlier this month has thrown the trajectory of his legal challenges into question.On Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) asked for the New York criminal case against Trump to be put on hold during his presidency. 'A total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American people.'While Trump's legal team sought to dismiss the case outright, Bragg opted instead to freeze it. Bragg's move may suggest that he hopes to revisit the case after Trump is no longer in office.Prosecutors from Bragg's office wrote to Judge Juan Merchan, "The people deeply respect the office of the president, are mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency, and acknowledge that defendant's inauguration will raise unprecedented legal questions.""We also deeply respect the fundamental role of the jury in our constitutional system," prosecutors added.Trump, who was found guilty on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, was slated to face sentencing on November 26. With Merchan's approval of Bragg's freeze request, that date will be pushed back indefinitely.Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, celebrated the pause and called it "a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American people."He told the New York Times, "The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump's legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all."The other state-level case lodged against Trump — this one in Georgia — also appears to be on hold. On Monday evening, the state appeals court abruptly canceled a December 5 pretrial hearing to determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the case after it was discovered she was having an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who has since stepped down.The court did not provide a reason for the decision but noted that the hearing was tossed "until further order of this court."Defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who brought the motion to recuse Willis, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the unexpected cancellation is "not something you normally see.""They could reschedule it," Merchant said. "It could mean they don't need to hear oral arguments and can decide it on the merits."Townhall columnist Phil Holloway concurred with Merchant's assessment, predicting that the court "might" be prepared to rule without hearing oral arguments."If so, that likely means bad news for Willis," Holloway stated.The two federal cases against Trump, led by special counsel Jack Smith, also seem to be nearing their conclusions. Sources told the Times that Smith intends to wrap up his involvement with the cases and step down before Trump's inauguration, Blaze News previously reported.For the Washington, D.C., federal case alleging that Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Smith has requested the cancellation of all related deadlines.In the Florida case in which Trump was charged with improperly handling classified documents, Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida had already dismissed the charges. While Smith initially sought to appeal the dismissal, he moved to put that appeal on hold last week.The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy not to prosecute a sitting president, claiming that it "would impermissibly undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions," according to its website.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Donald Trump's presidential victory earlier this month has thrown the trajectory of his legal challenges into question.
On Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) asked for the New York criminal case against Trump to be put on hold during his presidency.
'A total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American people.'
While Trump's legal team sought to dismiss the case outright, Bragg opted instead to freeze it. Bragg's move may suggest that he hopes to revisit the case after Trump is no longer in office.
Prosecutors from Bragg's office wrote to Judge Juan Merchan, "The people deeply respect the office of the president, are mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency, and acknowledge that defendant's inauguration will raise unprecedented legal questions."
"We also deeply respect the fundamental role of the jury in our constitutional system," prosecutors added.
Trump, who was found guilty on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, was slated to face sentencing on November 26. With Merchan's approval of Bragg's freeze request, that date will be pushed back indefinitely.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, celebrated the pause and called it "a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American people."
He told the New York Times, "The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump's legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all."
The other state-level case lodged against Trump — this one in Georgia — also appears to be on hold.
On Monday evening, the state appeals court abruptly canceled a December 5 pretrial hearing to determine whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the case after it was discovered she was having an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who has since stepped down.
The court did not provide a reason for the decision but noted that the hearing was tossed "until further order of this court."
Defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who brought the motion to recuse Willis, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the unexpected cancellation is "not something you normally see."
"They could reschedule it," Merchant said. "It could mean they don't need to hear oral arguments and can decide it on the merits."
Townhall columnist Phil Holloway concurred with Merchant's assessment, predicting that the court "might" be prepared to rule without hearing oral arguments.
"If so, that likely means bad news for Willis," Holloway stated.
The two federal cases against Trump, led by special counsel Jack Smith, also seem to be nearing their conclusions. Sources told the Times that Smith intends to wrap up his involvement with the cases and step down before Trump's inauguration, Blaze News previously reported.
For the Washington, D.C., federal case alleging that Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Smith has requested the cancellation of all related deadlines.
In the Florida case in which Trump was charged with improperly handling classified documents, Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida had already dismissed the charges. While Smith initially sought to appeal the dismissal, he moved to put that appeal on hold last week.
The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy not to prosecute a sitting president, claiming that it "would impermissibly undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions," according to its website.
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Originally Published at Daily Wire, World Net Daily, or The Blaze
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